Sinigang na Maya-maya sa Miso (Snapper Fish in Miso and Taramind Soup) Recipe

Sinigang na Maya-maya sa Miso is another version of sinigang dish soup with additional seasoning, the miso.

Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting rice, barley and or soybeans with salt and the fungus.

Why it became a part of Pinoy's sinigang?... During the Edo period [1603-1876] Christian Japanese refugees who came to the Philippines brought along miso soup, but the Filipino gives it a more sour soup taste than the original Japanese version and then, later on, they called it sinigang sa miso.

This is similar to other sinigang that has a sour broth. Normally the maya-maya cooked in a combination in rice washing (hugas bigas), tomatoes, vegetables, miso paste and tamarind which gives a sour taste.

Sinigang na Maya-maya sa Miso

Good for serving
3-5 persons

Prep time
20 mins

Cook time
30 mins

Total time
50 mins

Ingredients:

5 tbsp. Miso paste
200 grams, (Unripe tamarind) or 1 pack of Taramind powder
4 cloves, garlic, minced
1 pc. onion medium sized, chopped
2 pcs. large sized tomatoes, chopped
1 thumb sized ginger, chopped
1 bunch, mustard greens (mustasa)
1 pc. medium-sized radish (labanos), sliced
5 pcs, large, Okra (optional), cut into 2 pcs
3 pcs. finger chili (Siling haba)
1.5 liter, water or rice washing
cooking oil
salt and ground pepper to taste

Cooking Procedure:

In a hot frying pan, pour and heat cooking oil, fry fish until light brown.
Drain and set aside
In a casserole, heat oil and saute ginger, garlic, onion, and tomatoes.
Add miso paste and salt then stir cook for a minute.
Add water and then bring to boil.
Pour the radish and okra and sinigang powder or tamarind juice then bring to boil
Add fried fish, finger chili then cook for another 2 minutes.
Season with salt and ground pepper according to taste.
Add mustard greens then simmer for a minute then turn off the stove.
Serve with steamed rice.
Share and Enjoy!

Notes:

To extract tamarind juice, instead of using tamarind powder, boil unripe tamarind until soften then pound and extract the juice.
You can use the Japanese Miso bought in the grocery, but you can also buy the ordinary miso from the wet market.
Aside from Maya-Maya, you can also use other kinds of fish like Bangus, Talakitok, Lapu-Lapu, or Salmon.
Washing rice (hugas bigas) - water obtained from washing rice grains and used as broth base for sinigang
If mustard green is not available, use pechay tagalog or bokchoy as a substitute.